Meeting Miss Lupin
by K9oftheTwoStrings
Summary: Set before the film. A new girl moves into Victor's town and he experiences something he's never experienced before- true love. However, love can be beastly, especially when a supposed "werewolf" tries to put their relationship in jeopardy. VictorXOC love story.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was one of those odd turn-of-the-season days in London. Summer was long dead, however Autumn had not yet seen its first birthday. It was one of those sorts of days where it felt warm out for a good deal of the day, but as day first broke, the comfortably high temperatures were nonexistent; one of those days where for a good chunk of the morning, you'd rather stay under the comfortable fitted sheets of your bed. And Victor Van Dort did just that. As the newborn sunlight crouched through the branches of the bleeding trees, it caught sight of gossamer white curtains and slipped through them like a fox under the gate of a henhouse. It slowly leaked into his quiet bedroom, making its presence known quickly, as the light traveled up the grey comforter and onto Victor's soft, pale flesh. And then into his fluttering eyes. He groaned a bit, trying to save his eyes from potentially burning out of his sockets (it felt like), and rolled a bit to the side, repositioning his body- back facing the window. As the light traveled deeper and deeper into Master Van Dort's chamber, it had finally dawned on him that it was in fact, the morning, and that he should not be in bed, rather the cannery, assisting his father in opening up the shop and preparing it for another long, hard and rather smelly day of work. He growled and then, using his dominant arm, slowly pushed his exhausted and seemingly heavy body up into a sitting position. Victor yawned, rubbed his eyes a little and dragged his thin legs out from under the warm blanket atop of him. Slowly, he walked out of bed to the closet and picked out the usual- the shabby, white white shirt, pants and apron, still stained with water and fish blood from a previous task. After removing his nightgown and putting on his uniform, he crept down the narrow, spiral staircase and trudged out the door into the streets.

The plaza and its many streets and walkways were unusually quiet, especially for this time of day. Normally, during this hour, it would be absolute madness- people literally running out of their homes, trying to get to their workplaces, massive carriages with equally as massive horses roaming around carrying the elite to and from the city and crowds of eager shoppers, trying to get to stores on time to pick up the freshest groceries or the best-priced basic home items before the shelves were out of stock. Normally, this would be the time that a clumsy young man like Victor would have a better chance of running into a street sign (like on Monday), a lamppost (like on the Tuesday of the week before), a mailbox (like yesterday) or another person (like every day). This time, he had no need to fear a potential collision with an inanimate object or being heinously late- the commute to work was actually quite nice. It was quiet- something that Victor enjoyed more than the average person- and then of course there was the scenery; the stunning pre-Autumn scenery. If it only had been Sunday- then he would be able to relax in this quiet, and soak it in for a longer period of time. Maybe sit out on a park bench with a sketchbook and a quill or some pastels and draw for a while until he would be called inside for breakfast and preparation for weekly Mass. But, unfortunately, today was indeed, not Sunday. So there would be no such spare time to waste. He had to take in as much as he could before it was back to the monotony of the diurnal routine of working at a fish cannery.

In a way, though he was in a hurry and was slowly waking up and heading back into reality, that certain dreamy haze had not left him. It circled above him, allowing him to enjoy the relaxing quiet even more, though still accepting that it was once again, indeed not Sunday and that he needed to go to work. Maybe just a bit too much, even. For what he feared would happen this morning did happen. All of the sudden, she felt a sudden, violent jerk on his shoulder. Slightly startled, he turned around and became face to face with a young woman. He began to turn red in the face. She did too.

 _How terribly rude of me..._ Victor thought to himself, frantically, I better say something...

"I'm terribly sorry, Miss. It was incredibly rude of me to run into you like that. I should have been more careful."

With that, he turned around to take a better look at the woman. She was an innocent thing with a thin face, not unlike his. She had short, brown hair and olive green eyes. She wore a simple, purple dress and her ears were pierced- the jewelry- small, metal dangling earrings bearing a small red jewel in the shape of a running lupine. She looked so sad, yet strangely fascinating. And as his eyes met hers, a strange feeling came upon him. By the way she looked at him, he could tell that she must've felt something too.

The young woman stood there for a few seconds, shielded her eyes and fearfully walked away.

Victor stood there, still staring. That odd feeling rushed upon him again, but this time, it was something he recognized. Anger, fear and regret. But something else as well…

 _Did I just...?_ He asked himself. He paused and redirected his thoughts. _No. No, it couldn't be..._ He changed the topic. _I need to get to work..._

He turned around and began walking again to get to work. However, all during this walk, he could not stop thinking about what had just happened. He saw something in that young lady- a gentleness and a tenderness that he had never witnessed in anyone before- something powerful. It haunted him his entire way to work. It seemed that all he could think about was that young woman. Who was she? What was this odd feeling that he had experienced? Victor just had to know. And more importantly, he needed to apologize.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Just then, seven long, clarion _bings_ and _bongs._ It was already seven o clock. Another thing Victor had feared had finally come to realization.

 _Oh dear..._ Victor thought: _I'm late... Father's going to be none too pleased._

Right he was. As soon as he had reached the doors of his family's small businesses, there was William Van Dort, standing there, arms crossed and foot tapping rather quickly on the cobblestone pavement. He looked beyond cross- this deathlike stare frightened Victor a little. He tried to speak, but no words could come out. Instead, William did the talking.

"Yer late... Again..." He said in a low growl.

"Yes, father I know..." Victor said, quietly before his father cut him off.

"That was the third time this week that you were late. The first two times, I could understand- the streets were more crowded than a fish market on a Friday during Lent, but on a day like today... There was absolutely nobody walking around in the streets, boy! You should be ashamed of yourself."

 _There was somebody..._ Victor thought to himself, but he knew if he tried to talk about what had happened to him, he would only be making things worse and putting himself into a fight where he would never win. Instead, he said: "Yes father... I know..." in a monotone voice, once again. He couldn't think of anything to say besides what he had said before. He was like a modern-day record player stuck on repeat. "I'm sorry..."

William sighed a little as he pulled the key ring out of his coat pocket. "Fine... Just don't let it happen again. And if it does, that time, you WILL be in trouble."

Victor nodded a sad and quiet little nod and then followed his father into the store. As soon as William set up his work station, he gave Victor his list of tasks needed to be completed- the usual. Cleaning and then gutting and filleting the freshly caught fish, putting labels and price stickers on cans and then setting up the display case in the front window. He mentally accepted the list and, without being asked, began working on the first job.

A few hours passed, and once again, the streets became their usual bustling selves. The crowds were lined up at each shop, just waiting for it to be open to the public for the day, the Van Dort cannery and fish market included. At this time, Victor was cleaning and chopping the salmon that William had brought back for him from the day before, however, though he was busy with his job, he never once looked at the fish- rather the crowds outside. He was people-watching. Then, William walked into the main room of the shop with another crate of dead fish. He placed it down at Victor's feet and tried to get his attention.

"Victor, I have another crate of fish for you to clean." he said.

Victor did not reply, instead he just continued to look out the window.

"Victor..." William growled. He began repeating his name until he finally caught his attention.

"Victor, you have more fish that need cleaning."

"Okay." Victor quietly and somberly replied, "I'll get to it as soon as I can..."

William began to walk away, eyes still transfixed on his seemingly dazed son.

 _This isn't like him..._ William thought _Victor is usually very attentive with his work, what's gotten into him?_ _I need to speak with him._

"Um... Hey, Victor?"

Victor replied with a simple humming noise.

He walked back over to his son's work station and out his hand on his shoulder.

"My boy, you seem stressed. Is everything alright?"

Victor didn't reply, he just continued to chop the same fish he had been chopping for hours.

William frowned. He knew that there was something up with his son- it didn't seem like him to just stare out a window for hours and hours on end. But he guessed that he would never know what was going on with his son. After all, Victor's brain was wired just a little differently than his. Practically everything his son ever felt was an enigma to him.

Then, the door to the shop opened and the bell sitting atop of it sounded. Their first customer of the day. Both turned around to get a better look of who it was.

Victor gasped and began to turn red in the face.

 _It's her..._ He thought to himself in a frantic manner.

The same young woman bearing the ruby wolf-shaped earrings walked over to the counter of the store closer and closer to him and his father. As she got closer, he began to freeze up a bit more and slowly make his way over to the store room in the back of the shop. No use, he couldn't move. He was paralyzed with that same strange feeling he felt when he had first met her.

"Um, hello?" The young woman had said in a quiet tone of voice.

William turned around and smiled. He began talking to her.

"Hello and welcome to Van Dort's Fish! How may I be of service to you?"

The young woman replied, "Um well... I just moved here a day ago and I was wondering if I am in the right direction of the general store? I am in desperate need of some new chalk pastels."

"Well, unfortunately, the general store doesn't sell art supplies such as those, however I could ask my son to point you in the direction of the artist supply shop. Hey, Victor!"

Victor froze. His hair stood on end. He looked over at his father, then at the young woman, then at his father again. He slowly made his way back to the counter.

"Yes, dad?" He asked in a nervous tone of voice.

"Could you point out to this lovely young artist where the art supplies store is? You frequent it all of the time, so I figured you would be the best person to show her where it is."

"Okay..." Victor said, trying not to gulp a bit. He began sweating. Nervously, he gave her the proper directions to the store and allowed her to be on her way.

"Thank you so much, young man..." She said, turning around to leave the shop. However, as she was about to put her hand on the door knob, she remembered something. She took one better look at the young man at the counter. He looked exactly like the beautiful young man she had accidentally ran into that morning. The one that gave her the feeling as if she was actually...

 _No... No, it couldn't be..._ She thought to herself. _There's no such thing..._ But still, her inquiring mind wanted to know.

"Um... Mister? Do I know you from somewhere?"

Victor froze again. He quietly shook his head "no". Then followed by the words: "I don't believe we've met before."

"Alright. Well, thank you again for pointing me on the right direction."

"No no!" William said with a smile, "thank you Miss... Miss..."

"Lupin!" The young woman replied, "Miss Emma Lupin!"

"Well, thank you, Miss _Lupin"_ William began, "Come back any time. Wether it be for fish or for directions."

Emma smiled. She then walked out and waved goodbye to the Van Dort father-son duo.

William took another look at his son. He was sweating bullets and his pupils were dilated.

"What on EARTH has gotten into you, Victor?!" He asked, frantically.

"Her..." Victor shyly replied.

"Emma?"

"Yes, Emma..."

"What about her?"

Victor explained the fiasco that had occurred that morning. He told him about how he had run into her and that he felt incredibly embarrassed that he had run into her. However, he completely neglected to tell his father about the feeling he felt. He treated it as if that little _zing_ of something had never even happened.

"Oh Victor!" He replied, "That's what has sent you over the edge? My boy, it was an accident! Victor, you need to stop fearing about every little wrong thing that you do! Human beings make mistakes! Constantly! It's in our nature!"

"You know what..." Victor said, 'you're right. It was an accident. She wasn't mad at me. Maybe I'm just overthinking things." A little fear left him. But something was still there. But what?

"Good!" He said, "however, Vic, if you're still feeling nervous, why don't you go down to the art store and give her a formal apology in person?"

And there was that feeling again. Victor tried to say that he was feeling fine, however, mentally, he knew that he wasn't. He needed to set things right.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Father..." Victor said

"Yes?" William replied.

"Can I take my break early? I'm going to go down to the art store to set things right."

William nodded. He figured that speaking with Miss Emma personally would be the thing that would finally settle his nerves.

"Just make sure you're back after tea time- the shop is usually busiest by then." William added

"I will. I promise you." Victor replied with a small smile. Then, he walked out the door and into the street.

The streets were unlike the way they were in the morning, as was the weather. The crowds had finally started back up again and though the threes were still bleeding their many colors, the sun was at its highest peak and it began to feel like summer again. And even in the madness of it all, Victor seemed unfazed by the world around him. He was inside of his little bubble, deep in pensive thought.

 _I hope I get there in time..._ He thought, _I need to settle things. I don't want to be afraid of her anymore and I want to offer her a formal apology for my rudeness. I just hope she'll except it..._

He thought "what if" scenarios all through the last half of his journey and the didn't seem to stop even after he had reached the front steps of the small art supplies store. He walked up the small stairs slowly and quietly and his shaky hand reached over to the doorknob.

 _Come on, Victor..._ He thought to himself, _You can do it. You can't live in this fear of making mistakes any longer..._

He grabbed the handle and slowly pushed the creaky, old door open to the shop. He greeted the cashier of the store and began browsing about, looking at some of the small shop's many contents, but truly looking for Miss Lupin. At last, he found her, admiring a beautiful set of expensive watercolor cakes with horse-hair brushes. He slowly walked over to him, cleared his throat and called out for her.

"Miss Lupin?" He said in a quiet tone of voice.

Emma turned around to see the nervous young man, hands behind his back and red in the face.

"Master Van Dort...right?" She replied with a small smile,

"Yes, that's correct." Victor said.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh... I was just... Well, I wanted to... To..." Victor said, getting more and more nervous by the second.

"You wanted to..." Emma said, noticing how Victor was feeling- she couldn't let him stumble over his words forever.

"I wanted to apologize for the way I acted this morning..." He said, in defeat, "It was incredibly rude of me and I have been beating myself up for what I did. And I didn't give you a proper apology, so, I just wanted to stop by and say I'm sorry... Can you forgive me?"

After a brief moment of silence, Emma began smiling and laughing. Victor stood there, wondering what this meant.

"Master Van Dort, there is no need to throw yourself under the carriage! You are absolutely fine! You don't have to apologize! It was an accident, I understand completely!"

Victor began to smile a bit, he knew that there was nothing to fear. He should have known that she would accept his apology. He gave himself some positive self- talk for a few seconds and the changed the subject of the conversation.

"So... Um... You're new to London?"

"Yes, sir I am! I moved here from a small town on the outskirts of the city."

"Ah! Very interesting indeed! So I heard that you enjoy art, is this so?"

Emma scoffed a little and laughed, "Master Van Dort, I'm IN an artist's supplies store for peat's sake! Of course I enjoy art! I had moved here in the first place to begin my career as a portrait artist."

"Right... Of course... Silly me..." He placed his hand on a display shelf containing small vials of acrylic paint, unfortunately knocking some of them onto the floor and spilling paint all over his freshly polished shoes. All he could say was: "I meant to do that..."

Emma began laughing harder. "Master Van Dort, has anyone ever told you that you are incredibly cute?"

Victor smiled and blushed a little. "No miss, that was the first time..."

"Well, somebody has got to have said it- you're sweet; your demeanor is so adorable and..." She stopped herself. "Excuse me..."

Victor continued to smile. "No need to be excused, Miss Lupin. That was very sweet of you to say."

Just then... _WHAM._ That feeling returned to both of them, however, they had a better idea of what that feeling was. Since their fear of each other resided, it certainly wasn't a feeling of fear. Rather, something more odd, but more gentle.

"So..." They both said in a synchronized manner. They both looked away and giggled a bit.

"Okay, you first." Victor said.

"Alright!" Emma laughed, "Would you like to come over to my home today? I'd like to speak with you in a more professional and private environment. You could come over for tea time, perhaps?"

"That would be lovely, Miss Lupin!" Victor said, happily

"Oh Master Van Dort, please! Call me Emma."

"Alright then... That would be lovely, Emma. Oh! And in that case, you can call me Victor."

The duo smiled and sealed the deal. The said goodbye to the cashier of the art store and began to walk over to Emma's new house. After a good five or ten minutes of walking, they reached the Lupin residence. She unlocked the door and told Victor to come inside.

The house was small with a rather low ceiling (Victor had to duck a bit to fit through the entry way, but from there, he could stand up perfectly, of course he had to duck through the occasional doorway, but still, he was fine.). But other than that, Victor liked the place. It was decorated well and the many windows allowed natural light to come in. There was no room in the house that didn't seem like it was perfect for drawing or painting. (Since both preferred to draw in the presence of natural light than of a candle or oil lamp) They traveled through a few rooms until they had reached a small parlor off of an office. Miss Lupin motioned for Victor to take a seat in a small armchair nearest to the doorway leading to the other room.

"Alright, I am going to go and check on my father. He should be in the other room." Emma said, turning away, "While I'm gone, please do make yourself at home."

She left the room and began walking over to the doorway. Once there, she knocked on the door and asked for her father.

"The door's open, Emma darling!" A small muffled voice said from inside the room.

Emma turned the handle and found her father inside tinkering with a small, gold-colored object. However, as she approached his work desk, he quickly put down his tools, opened a small drawer and frantically stuck the little thing inside, then shutting the drawer in less than a second. He turned around and looked at his daughter with his gentle old eyes and smiled at her.

"Hello, Emma." Mr. Lupin said with a large, ear-to-ear smile running across his face.

"Hello, father." Emma replied happily.

She got closer and wrapped her father into a loving embrace. After a few seconds, the released and continued their conversation.

"How was your day about town?

"It was wonderful, father! The streets are just so beautiful during this time of year- it was so grand getting to just explore and browse around."

"Everything you hoped it would be?"

"Oh and more! The entire city of just so fantastic! And the people... Oh the people are just so nice and friendly!" She paused for a moment and remembered Victor. "Oh! Father, that reminds me! I met a new friend today during my morning stroll!"

"Really? What's 'er name?"

"HIS name, father."

"Oh! HIS name! So you met a MALE friend?" At this time, Mr. Lupin grinned a sly grin and raised one of his eyebrows.

"Maybe..." Emma giggled, trying not to blush. She swished her dress around in little circles and looked at the ceiling, trying to avoid eye contact."Okay, yes, I did! Oh father, he's so wonderfully kind- I'd like for you to meet him if that's alright with you? He's waiting just outside your office- in the parlor." She began tugging at her father's coat sleeve the way an eager puppy would pull on a rope toy.

Mr. Lupin laughed; "Alright, alright- Let's meet this feller of yours."

Emma lead her father into the parlor where Victor was patiently waiting. As the entered the room, Mr. Lupin began to examine the figure on the red armchair.

 _He just appears to be of the likable sort_... Mr. Lupin thought. He hadn't even said a word to the boy, but he already liked the look of him.

"Father, this is Master Victor Van Dort. Victor, this is my father Doctor Peter Lupin." Emma said with a smile on her face.

"How do you do, Doctor Lupin?" Victor replied with an outstretched hand.

Mr. Lupin shook Master Van Dort's hand and replied with a simple "Very well, thank you."

From there, the threesome began talking. They spoke of painting, music and of course the event that had taken place that morning when Emma and Victor had first laid eyes (and apparently shoulders) on each other. Then, out of the blue, came a sweet chiming noise of the cuckoo clock hanging on the wall. The tinkling of little bells and the innocent music box -like tune filled the room and created a sense of peace. When the little music stopped, the trapdoor up top of the clock opened and a small wooden wolf awoke from his slumber and charged outside to the ledge where he leaned back his mighty head and sang his iconic melody. As the howls grew in numbers, he soon became a duet and then a trio and then a quartet as each member of his little pack let out a cry of their own. In a few seconds, the songs ceased and majestic creature slowly walked back inside of his den, awaiting his next time to sing his haunting song.

The room was still quiet. That sense of peace was still lingering in the atmosphere of the house. However, in just a matter of seconds, Peter Lupin got up off his chair and broke the silence.

"Well, would you look at the time."

It was four o clock. Tea time.

"Ah yes!" Emma said, standing up from her seat, "I should probably be preparing the tea by now. What kind would you like, father?"

"Anything will suffice, my dear", Peter replied, "Just make certain to put two lumps of sugar in, like you always do."

"I won't forget." Emma said with a smile. She turned to her guest and friend and asked a similar question.

"And what kind of tea would you like, Victor? And one lump of sugar or two?"

Victor didn't respond. Instead, his eyes lay transfixed on the cuckoo clock on the wall.

"Victor?" Emma asked. She began repeating his name until his gaze broke.

"Yes, Emma?" Victor replied.

"Are you alright? You've been staring at the clock for a good couple of minutes."

"Oh! Oh! I was just admiring the handiwork. It's so beautifully crafted-this clock must've been a brute to carve due to all of the detailing. And I'll just take some Earl Grey if you have any."

Emma smiled, hooded and headed to the kitchen to look for tea bags. As soon as his daughter left, Peter responded to Victor's original remark about the cuckoo clock.

"Oh she was!" Peter said, smiling, "But I don't think the old girl turned out too bad in the end."

"You made this clock, Mr. Lupin?"

"Indeed I did, Master Van Dort. I actually make and repair clocks for a living. And in fact, I personally think that this one has to be my personal favorite out of all the cuckoos I've sculpted over the years."'

"Well, the carving and the painting... And everything! I'm astounded! This has to be one of the most beautiful pieces of art I've ever seen!"

"I take it you're an art lover, Master Van Dort?"

"Indeed I am. I also do a little drawing and painting myself- I'm a sketch artist for the Lepidoptera Community, but I couldn't possibly do anything if this size and scale. Do you mind if I could have a closer look?"

"Not at all! Go right ahead!"

Victor got up and looked closer at the clock. It was a quaint little clock indeed- each of the patterns didn't seem to match the one to its left or to its right, however, the clock, overall, was nowhere near sloppy- in fact, it might have been some of the most amazing carving work Victor had ever laid eyes on! He rubbed his hand over the fine, polished wood and ran his fingers over every intricate little detail. He studied the face of the clock and then, the small wolf pack atop of it. He reached his hand up to the very top and began stroking one of the sleeping beasts, feeling all of the little grooves in the figurine's stunningly-textured "fur". And as he studied the clock and the little statuette more, all Victor could think of was why Mr. Lupin used a wolf to indicate time rather than the usual cuckoo bird. His inquiring mind wanted to know.

"Um, Mr. Lupin?"' Victor asked in a silent tone of voice.

"Yes, Victor, what is it?"

"Mr. Lupin, I was wondering why you decided on a wolf to be the time keeper on your clock rather than a bird."

Then, Emma walked into the room carrying a small tray bearing three cups of tea. She handed out a cup to each person in the room and took a seat on the sofa next to Victor's armchair.

Victor took a better look at the design on the teacup Emma gave him- a winter landscape with a pack of howling timber wolves painted onto it.

Mr. Peter Lupin took a sip of his tea, let out a sigh and then responded with a smile; "Oh yes! It seems like everyone these days asks me that very same question. You see, our family has a very large emotional connection to wolves."

Emma nodded. Then she added: "Yes yes- we absolutely adore them. I've always found wolves to be the most beautiful of all animals and it's all because of my wonderful mother. In fact, when she was alive, she used to tell me all these little stories and tall tails when I was a wee toddler, saying that I was raised by a pack of timber wolves until I was three years old! Oh they were quite something, those little stories- always made me smile! And I used to believe them, that was the thing!"

She laughed a little, took a sip of her tea and then continued: "So, from there, I began to develop a love for the animals. In fact, every year for Christmas from when the stories were first introduced to me until the time of her death, she used to paint the teacups that we are currently using for me with a beautiful landscape that always featured a different species of wolf, each with a little note inside that always concluded with 'never forget who you are'."

"What a lovely story, Miss Emma!" Victor said, smiling, "I can see why you have such a strong connection to the animals!"

The rest was history. The threesome talked for hours about clock-making and painting and of wolves and other creatures. Time just seemed to be completely nonexistent when they were talking with each other. In fact, they all didn't stop talking until about seven o clock in the evening. Around that time, Victor got up off of his chair and set his near-empty tea cup onto a coaster on the coffee table at the foot of his chair.

"Well, I must be off." he began, "My father is going to close up shop any minute now and I think he'd be like for me to be there so he doesn't have to clean up my work station himself. Thank you all so much for the tea and for such a wonderful time."

"No problem, Master Van Dort, come back any time you like!" Peter Lupin said with a smile, "And speaking of going back to work, I have a project that needs finishing."

"Excuse me if I sound incredibly nosy and rude, Mister Lupin, but do you mind if you tell me what sort of project you're working on?" Victor asked, "I simply do admire your work and I wonder if it was possible if I could see it once it's finished?"

Mr. Lupin began to tense up. Such an innocent... human... Such as Victor did not need to know of what he was working on. He needed an alibi.

"Oh," Mr. Lupin said, clearing his throat, "It's nothing special- Just a little gold pocket watch a customer had brought in that needs repairing. Please do excuse me, Master Van Dort, I don't want to keep my customer waiting- he specifically asked for his watch back tomorrow."

"Alright then." Victor said in a slightly suspicious tone, "I will not disturb you for much longer. Mister Lupin, Miss Lupin- I bid you all goodnight."

"Goodnight, my boy." Replied Mr. Lupin as he walked toward his study.

"Yes, goodnight, Victor..." Emma said smiling, "But um... Do-do you think you have one more minute to talk? I'd like to speak with you about... Something..."

"Sure, I have some time. It isn't quite seven o clock yet. What do you need"

Emma looked down and began to rub her hands. "Well... Victor, I'd like to say... For the short time I've known you, I've grown incredibly fond of you..."

Victor smiled. "Emma, I've grown fond of you as well..."

Miss Lupin's cheeks began turning pink. "Well... I... Um... Well..." She stammered.

"Go on, my dear."

"Well, and I want to see you again... Sometime soon... I would like to maybe... I don't know... Go out to dinner and then maybe to the art galleries... With you..."

"Oh Emma, I would love to! What times are convenient for you?"

"Well, tomorrow I am not doing too much- I just have to..."

"Great! Than we could go tomorrow evening! Is that alright with you?"

Emma began to look panicked. "No! No that's not a good time for me at all! I just remembered that... That I have something that... My father and I must do... Tomorrow night."

"Alright, I understand then. How about Saturday evening then?"

Emma calmed down. "Oh yes. Saturday will work for me..." She paused and looked into Victor's beautiful brown eyes. She was lost in them.

Victor couldn't help but stand there and look back at her as well. The light of the moon made danced on her pale skin and reflected off her olive green eyes. They both began to feel something. Much like the feeling the felt when they first met, but... Stronger...

"Well, Thank you so much for the lovely time and it was a pleasure getting together with you and your father.

"Yes- I had a wonderful evening!"

"Goodnight, Miss Emma."

Victor began to turn away to leave, but before he could even step foot off of the small staircase connecting Emma's front door to the street, she turned him around, wrapped her arms around his waist and gently kissed his warm, grey lips.

Victor couldn't believe his eyes!

 _Is this actually happening?_ He asked himself, his pale face turning at least three shades of red.

While she had her lips on his, it felt like the whole universe stopped and that time defunct. However, in truth, time still existed and Victor was in desperate need to return to his father's workplace, yet he felt no desire to leave.

After a few seconds had passed, Emma finally let go of Victor's lips and looked away in shame.

"I am so sorry, Master Van Dort!" She began frantically whispering, "That was very improper and very much uncalled for on my part, but truthfully, I wanted to let you know this; in the few hours I've known you, I found you incredibly attractive. Please forgive me- that vas very very rude of me..."

Victor began to smile "What are you talking about?" He asked, with a little laugh "That wasn't rude- it was actually quite... Well... Nice!"

Emma's eyes opened widely: "You really think so?"

Victor nodded and blushed- "I'm just glad that we're on the same page; if you want my honest thoughts, I found you to be very attractive as well."

They both looked away from each other for a second, and then back at each other and then back into the street. They both began to break out in hysterical laughter. After a few seconds; silence.

"Sorry..." They both said in unison. Another awkward silence feel upon them as they each tended to their own thoughts...

Emma turned away for a second and looked at the time again- there was only one measly minute before seven o' clock! She broke the silence by saying

"Well, I guess I will be seeing you Saturday evening then?"

Victor came back to reality. She replied with a simple "yes, indeed."; his face still tinted pink.

More silence.

"Um..." Emma coughed, "I think you might want to be heading out of here..."

"Why is that?"

"Because we spent your five minutes of walking time talking out here and you only have a minute to return to your workplace..."

"Ooooooh dear! Oh dear! Oh dear!" Victor said, frantically running down the stairs of Emma's house, "Um... Good-goodnight Miss Lupin! I will see you S-Saturday evening!"

"Goodnight Victor. Be careful out there!"

"Why would you-you say that! I'm always careful!"

"Because you're walking right into a..."

A giant _THUD_ could be heard across the street, Emma flinched a little and finished her sentence

"Lamp post..."

Victor got up as fast as he could- legs still wobbly from the impact- or was it the fact that the one he loved had kissed him and it was finally taking a toll on him?

"I'm okay!" He shouted! "I'm alright! I'm just fine, I promise you!" He stood there, with a goat antic grin on his face, just looking into her hypnotic green eyes.

Emma laughed a little: "Goodbye Victor!"

Victor snapped out of his trance and began to run, "Oh! Right! Goodbye, Emma!"

Victor ran off into the cold, foggy night- passed all of the sleepy little houses and businesses all while avoiding making contact with another lamp post. As he ran, Emma Lupin still stood on the steps to her house and watched him until he disappeared from her field of vision. But as she watched him, she could not help but think about all of the events that had taken place that morning. Then, she looked back on her short-lived kiss she shared with him. All of the sudden, something sparked in her; she finally recognized the feeling she felt when she first laid eyes on him:

 _So this is what love feels like..._ She thought, _I could get used to this..._

A few minutes later, Victor finally arrived at the Van Dort family cannery, exhausted, but overjoyed. He opened the door with a grandiose motion and literally skipped inside, giggling like a schoolgirl.

As soon as Victor walked inside, he became face to face with William Van Dort who was standing there with the same aggravated look on his face he had presented to him when Victor first arrived that morning.

"Victor..." He growled, "You're late... Again. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Victor snickered a little and then burst end out in a sing-song tone of voice: "She kissed me!"


End file.
